Identify-Influencers

Identify Your Social Media Influencers:

Search for Your Social Media Influencers and Energize Your Marketing Campaign

It is essential for businesses to identify their social media influencers. “An influencer’s reach can be assessed according to how regularly they write about your company or industry, how connected they are to other influencers you’ve identified and whether or not they were early adopters of social media tools.”– Diane Thieke

“An influencer’s reach can be assessed according to how regularly they write about your company or industry, how connected they are to other influencers you’ve identified and whether or not they were early adopters of social media tools.” – Diane Thieke

What makes someone ‘influential’? How can you identify your brand’s social media influencers? While it may appear to be a daunting task, finding your social media influencers is key to business success in an increasingly media conscious world.

Identify Your Market Niche

It is crucial to understand where your business fits into the market. Define what you are trying to accomplish and how you intend to do it. It is about realistic goal setting and thorough research. Consider what need your business satiates. What do you have to offer that other businesses lack? Do your competitors use more of a ‘traditional’ marketing approach? If so, fly ahead of your competitors, using social media marketing tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogger. Coupled with traditional forms of marketing, these social media forums create a revolutionary marriage between the old and the new. Identify who shows up on social media sites, using the keywords you gleamed from step one.

Assess Influencer Reach

When identifying who your core social influencers are, it is important to understand their reach and relevance to the brand that you want to promote. How many people do they have following them? Do the influencers interact with their followers, consistently keeping them updated on new products and promotions? Look at the frequency of posts and updates; an out of date blog is a dead blog.

Is the Content Legitimate and Timely?

Not only is the content timely, is the influencer innovating? Are they presenting and disseminating content in a way that you have not seen previously? If so, then consider the validity of their information. Have they reported accurate and up-to-date information?

Do they Rank on Google?

One interesting aspect to consider is whether or not they have strong keyword associations on Google. A social influencer’s organic ranking can be a good indication of their popularity or influence on the topic. While the organic ranking is not crucial to defining a social influencer, it can be strong indication of their clout on the subject.

Identifying key social media influencers is crucial to any business desiring to stay competitive in a highly digitalized society. Marketing is quickly becoming more about connecting with people and creating relationships. It is about a conversation, involving people in the creation process, and allowing their experiences to be retold.